IDSA: MVA-BN Vaccine Against Mpox Tolerated, Effective for Teens

THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccine, licensed in the United States to prevent smallpox and mpox, is well tolerated and seems effective in adolescents, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Los Angeles.

Catherine Mary Healy, M.D., from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues examined the safety and immunogenicity of two doses of MVA-BN vaccine administered subcutaneously 28 days apart in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years compared to adults (aged 18 to 50 years) in a phase 2, open-label, multisite clinical trial. A total of 315 adolescents were compared to 211 adults.

The researchers found that both groups had similar solicited systemic and local events and unsolicited adverse events. Adolescents had dizziness more often (nine events in eight patients versus none in adults), which was similar to rates reported after other adolescent vaccines. MVA-BN was well tolerated overall. The day 43 antibody responses elicited by MVA-BN in adolescents were noninferior to the response in adults (geometric mean titer ratio for adolescents to adults, 1.60).

"These findings mark an important milestone for people living in areas with mpox," Healy said in a statement. "This mpox vaccine is an increasingly important solution to protect vulnerable adolescents and manage current and future outbreaks."

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